But in the East Palace, everyone was drinking, composing new poems, beating drums and spreading bamboo branches. After three rounds of drinking, except for the wine supervisor, Zheng Wei Lie, the rest of the people were a little drunk.
Outside the East Palace, the guards led the left commander, and the tiger governor Cao Zuan was leading five hundred tiger warriors to guard the outer wall of the East Palace.
"Desi, let me in quickly. I have something urgent to report to His Highness!"
"who!"
Cao Zun was extremely powerful and straightforward. He would knock the person rushing in front of him to the ground without any explanation. At this time, Cao Zuan recognized the person who was Cao Xi. Cao Zuan scratched his head, helped Cao Xi up after he had fallen to the ground, and said apologetically:
"I didn't know it was Mr. Xi. I hope I'll forgive you."
"Oh, it doesn't matter...it doesn't matter, hurry up, go and tell His Highness, let's talk about Guangmomen in the north of the city. Yesterday, His Highness the King of Hedong insisted on taking the Forbidden Army of the Thousand Military Guards Guards there to go hunting on Dashi Mountain. , no one can stop me. When I went to stop him, I angered the King of Hedong. He detained him for a day and a night before I was released. I was afraid that someone could escape from the north gate, so I came here to tell your highness, hurry, hurry. Tell him to prepare early, hurry up..."
After being imprisoned for a day and a night, Cao Xi ran half a street without eating enough water or rice, and finally fainted at Cao Zuan's feet.
"Master Xi, Master Xi!"
Cao Zuan hurriedly helped Cao Xi up, handed him into the hands of the two Hu Ben governors and said:
"Take Mr. Xi to the Imperial Medical Office quickly, while the others wait and continue to guard carefully. I'll be back as soon as I go."
"No!" the tiger governors shouted loudly, clasping their fists in a military salute.
In the Recruiting Pavilion, everyone has gone through another round. Everyone has written new poems. Except for Li Feng, Xia Houxuan, Cao Rui, and Cao Zhao, Guanqiu Jian's poems are the most outstanding, followed by He Zeng Bgui and others. Everyone has done so many more After drinking, everyone is slightly drunk.
"Your Majesty, Governor Hu Ben is asking to see you outside the pavilion. He said that he has something urgent to report to His Majesty."
Cao Rui sobered up a little after listening to the waiter's advice.
"Deth? Quick pass."
"No." The waiter did not dare to delay, and hurriedly called Cao Zuan into the Zhaoxian Pavilion.
"Desi, why are you so panicked?"
Cao Zhao asked first.
When Cao Zuan saw his brother asking questions, he hurriedly told Cao Rui exactly what Cao Xi said.
"How is Mr. Xi?"
When Xia Houxuan heard that Cao Xi was tortured by the King of Hedong, his heart suddenly tightened.
"Mr. Xi, I have sent someone to the Imperial Medical Office, but I think he will be fine."
After Xia Houxuan heard this, he felt relieved.
Cao Zhao had some doubts, so he continued to ask:
"The Wuwei camp is the imperial army led by General Xu Chu and Xu Zhongkang. How come you are so ignorant that you asked Cao Lin to transfer it privately?"
Cao Rui frowned slightly, sighed, and said to Cao Zhao:
"Changsi, General Wuwei, don't you know yet? He has always obeyed His Majesty's orders. Although I am the supervisor of the country, Your Majesty specially arranged for Cao Lin to be in charge of the defense of the capital's battalions before leaving. Naturally, General Xu will Listen to Cao Lin."
"Didn't Your Highness already capture the spy in Qingqing Garden, Oiran Xiao Xuanxue? Now even if a thousand soldiers of Guangmo Sect are transferred away by Cao Lin, it shouldn't be a big problem. Why is Your Highness so nervous?"
Bi Gui was a little puzzled and couldn't help but ask.
Cao Ruihan frowned slightly and said word by word:
"Because, there is more than one spy in Qingqing Garden."
"What should we do now? Your Highness orders it as soon as possible. I am willing to go through fire and water for His Highness!"
If you have ever been so impassioned, please ask Cao Rui for advice.
After Cao Rui pondered for a while, he began to make arrangements.
"For the current plan, the first thing is to send someone to Bingzhou immediately to inform the governor Wu Zhi, the governor of Bingzhou Liang Xi, and the governor of Youzhou Cui Lin, so as not to fall into Xianbei Kebineng's scheme. In addition, we must also Immediately send people to Dashi Mountain to restrain Cao Lin and let him be punished and plead guilty."
"Your Highness, I am willing to go to Dashi Mountain with my brother Desi and Wei Sima Du and their troops!"
Cao Zhao volunteered and asked to attend.
Cao Rui nodded. He understood that although there were only a thousand people in the East Palace Guards, Cao Zhao had wisdom, Cao Zuan and Wei Lie had bravery, and he was still a supervisor after all, so it shouldn't be a problem to control Cao Lin.
"In this case, Changsi, you should set off quickly without making any mistakes."
"promise!"
Cao Zhao, Cao Zuan, and Wei Lie took the order and left with rapid strides.
"Master Li Feng, please return home quickly, lead the guards, and continue to monitor Qingqingyuan."
"My lord, obey the order."
Li Feng, who had already become a disciple of the East Palace, readily agreed.
"He Zeng, you quickly go to Guang Luxun and Qia Mansion, explain the reasons, and continue the martial law in Luoyang. Bi Gui, you find Gao Xun, and go together to inform Tingwei Gao Rou, and prepare to interrogate the King of Hedong secretly, without any mistakes."
"promise!"
The two of them took the order and left the palace immediately.
When Xia Houxuan saw Cao Rui sending everyone away, he still had a worried look on his face, already understanding what Cao Rui was thinking.
"Your Highness, as for Bingzhou and his party, I would like to go."
"Oh? Brother Xuan, are you really willing to share your worries?"
Cao Rui felt warm in his heart when he saw that Xia Houxuan was actually willing to help him.
"Your Highness, this is for the sake of the country."
Seeing that Xia Houxuan still had such a cold attitude, Cao Rui couldn't help but sigh slightly in his heart.
"In that case, I'll give Brother Xuan a hard time. I'll send five hundred people to escort Brother Xuan north."
Xia Houxuan knew that what Cao Rui lacked most at the moment was manpower, so he declined:
"Your Highness, I don't need five hundred guards. I only need three people to travel north together lightly. That's enough."
"I don't know, which three people did Brother Xuan invite?"
Xia Houxuan raised his head and said seriously:
"Yishoutinghou Yu Huan, and my two cousins: Xiahou Feng and Xiahou Xian."
Cao Rui pondered for a moment and nodded.
"In this case, Brother Xuan must be careful in everything."
"Your Highness, don't worry."
Xiahou Xuan bowed solemnly and left the table to make arrangements.
————
In Sima Mansion.
Master Sima was sitting in the study, frowning slightly, thinking a lot in his mind.
This time, according to the plan left by his father, he encouraged others to persuade the King of Hedong, secretly transferred a thousand soldiers from the Guangmomen Guards Battalion, and secretly assisted Qinmo's men in Qingqingyuan to go to Xianbei to propose a plan. Although everything had been completed smoothly Yes, but what my father did was really unpredictable.
If it was for the King of Hedong, then my father should not let the King of Hedong mobilize his troops privately and follow the truth. If it was to protect King Pingyuan, then Xianbei should not be allowed to cause chaos, and Cao Rui should not be allowed to cause trouble while he was in charge of the country.
Could it be that father wanted to bring down both princes? I really don’t understand.
At this time, Xia Houhui, who was pregnant, personally brought a cup of tea to the study room. Seeing Master Sima's gloomy look, Xia Houhui couldn't help but feel a little distressed.
"Husband, are you worried about the affairs of the court again?"
Looking at his caring wife, for some reason, Master Sima suddenly felt sour in his heart. He helped Xia Houhui sit down carefully and said softly:
"Don't you mean that we can just let the servants do the work of serving tea and pouring water? Hui'er, you are inconvenient now, so you must take good care of yourself."
Xia Houhui smiled warmly and said:
"It's okay, husband, don't worry. The doctor said you should also move around appropriately. How can you stay bored in the house every day? Otherwise, you will get sick even if you are not sick."
Master Sima gently hugged his wife and said with a warm smile:
"When the child is born, give her a nickname: Yirong. Do you think it's okay?"
Xia Houhui smiled and said:
"How do you know, husband, that it must be a girl?"
Master Sima looked up at the stars outside the sky window and said softly:
"I just hope that she can live a happy life in the future. If she is a boy, the ups and downs of Luoyang and the success or failure of the family will all be on his shoulders in the future, whether he wants it or not."
————
Big Rock Mountain.
Flags fluttered and shouts vibrated.
Cao Lin, the king of Hedong, was wearing gold silk armor and riding a slender horse. He was leading a group of soldiers from the military guard camp. They bent their bows, mounted their horses, and whipped their chariots to hunt down the wild beasts in the mountains. So uncomfortable.
Cao Lin bent his bow and saw clearly, an arrow flew away, and a wild deer fell down at the sound. The three armies cheered together, and Cao Lin became more and more excited.
In fact, this hunting trip was not just a whim.
Just the day before yesterday, one of his disciples suggested that now that he finally has the power to control and dispatch the Forbidden Army, it would be a pity if he did not take the opportunity to become familiar with the various generals and commanders of the Forbidden Army. Therefore, the disciple persuaded him to come to such a hunting and specially mobilized the most elite Wuwei battalion in the Forbidden Army. As expected, the main soldiers of the Wuwei battalion at this moment were all in high morale and even cheered for him at this moment.
While Cao Lin was in a daze, the sound of horse hooves swept over like thunder. This is the East Palace Guard led by brothers Cao Zhao, Cao Zuan, and Wei Lie.
"The guards of the East Palace, following the order of the prisoner king, came to invite the king of Hedong to visit the palace."
Cao Zhao wanted to take care of the royal family's dignity in front of the Wuwei camp, so he did not explain the reason clearly.
————
Nanyang County, Wan County.
His Majesty the Emperor was furious with thunder.
Thunder's anger was not without reason. Before entering Nanyang County, Cao Pi issued an oral edict, saying: The emperor is inspecting, and officials are not allowed to interfere with Yu County.
In other words, Cao Pi kept the counties in Nanyang County as they were without any deliberate preparation.
But when the emperor's car arrived at Wan County, the first county in Nanyang County, Wan Ling did not understand the imperial edict, so he closed the city gates and cleared the streets.
When Cao Pi came to the deserted Wanxian market, he became angry.
"Could it be that I am a thief? Why is Wan Ling so cautious? Don't you know that I have already given instructions?"
Facing the angry emperor, Wang Xiang and Xun Wei hurriedly tried to persuade him.
However, Cao Pi, who was angry and had a long-standing grudge against Nanyang Prefect Yang Jun, could not help but send school officials to capture Wan Ling and Prefect Yang Jun at his feet in the Wanxian market.
Wang Xiang felt extremely uneasy at this time. He didn't know how to face it when he saw his former benefactor kneeling on the ground because of a small mistake. He didn't dare to step forward to help Yang Jun up, nor did he dare to say hello to Yang Jun. At this moment, he could only curl up and crawl at the emperor's feet, hoping that the emperor would not kill Yang Jun.
Cao Pi had a gloomy face and ignored Yang Jun and Wan Ling who were lying on the ground. He said to Xun Wei: "Quickly send the ministers to order Chen Qun, ministers Pushe Sima Yi, as well as ministers Wei Zhen, Liu Ye, Dong Zhao and others to come. !”
"promise."
Xun Wei did not dare to delay for a moment, so he immediately stood up and hurried forward to report the matter.
When Chen Qun, Sima Yi and others came to Wan County Market, Cao Pi immediately asked coldly:
"Gentlemen, tell me, how many people did Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty kill with two thousand stones?"
Wang Xiang, who was lying on the ground, was suddenly struck by thunder after hearing the emperor's words. He knew that Yang Jun might not be able to survive today. But Yang Jun didn't say a word, he just knelt on the ground. At this moment, he only felt a bone-chilling coldness in his heart.
"His Majesty!"
Wang Xiang burst into tears and knocked his head heavily on the hard and cold bluestone. At this moment, he only had one thought in his mind: to save Yang Jun.
"Your Majesty, please spare Yang Jicai!"
Cao Pi glanced at Wang Xiang, whose face was full of blood and tears from kowtow, and felt a pain in his heart:
"Why are you doing this, sir? Please get up quickly!"
Wang Xiang's face was bleeding and he didn't realize it. He still kowtowed heavily and begged Cao Pi to let Yang Jun suffer a lesser death. But the emperor did not say a word.
Sima Yi looked at Yang Jun who was kneeling on the ground and Wang Xiang whose face was covered with blood. He couldn't help but feel in a trance. He remembered when he was still a boy.
That year, when I was sixteen, I met Yang Jun for the first time.
He will never forget Yang Jun's words of encouragement to him: "This is an extraordinary person."
Sima Yi, who had long thought that he had turned into a stone-hearted person, unexpectedly turned red in the eyes.
"Your Majesty, Yang Jicai's crime will not lead to death. I beg your Majesty to be lenient..."
Cao Pi glanced at Wang Xiang, who was kowtowing and bleeding, as well as Sima Yi and Xun Wei who were kneeling on the ground, and finally at Yang Jun, who was silent, and finally only hatred remained in his heart.
Why, at this time, Yang Jun is not willing to beg for mercy?
Does he still look down on himself now?
Cao Pi was furious and roared:
"Don't say any more, I have made up my mind!"
Wang Xiang cried bitterly. He was already in despair. At this moment, he was like a child, pulling the corner of the emperor's clothes and begging bitterly.
Cao Pi was a little upset. He looked back at the crying and trembling Wang Xiang, sighed, and said word by word:
"I know the origin of Yang Jun's acquaintance with you. However, if I listen to your words now, you don't have me in your heart. Would you rather have no Junxie? No one with me?!"
After hearing this, Wang Xiang let go of his hand tremblingly as if he had been touched by thunder and lightning.
Yang Jun looked at Wang Xiang, Xun Wei, and Sima Yi whose faces were covered with blood, and felt warm in his heart.
He took one last look at the indifferent king, and a wry smile appeared on his lips. For no reason, he recalled the days when he had a good time drinking with Linzi Marquis Cao Zhi, as well as old friends such as Yang Xiu and Handan Chun.
"I know my sin."
Yang Jun slowly stood up and hit the stone pillar next to the street.
